In an incident that free speech campaigners have likened to a Maoist “struggle session”, Steve Jamieson, the Chief Executive of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), was forced to issue a grovelling public apology after a five-month barrister-led investigation into his personal X (formerly Twitter) account revealed it had followed controversial figure Tommy Robinson.
Robinson, the founder of the English Defence League, is a polarising presence known for his criticism of Islam and immigration policies. While his views are widely regarded as offensive, they remain within the bounds of lawful speech in the UK.
The RCSLT, which represents nearly 22,000 speech and language therapy professionals across the UK, found itself at the centre of a cancel culture storm after members discovered the follow in the wake of the Southport riots in August 2024.
Initially, the RCSLT claimed Jamieson’s account had been hacked, and the CEO himself took to X to issue a statement. “Let me be unequivocal,” he wrote. “With a life and career devoted to equality and against discrimination, I have not and would not knowingly follow the accounts of racist or far-right individuals or organisations.”
Despite these reassurances, Warda Farah, a 33-year-old Speech Language Therapist and Lecturer at the University of Greenwich, launched a campaign alongside 100 of her colleagues at the RCSLT, calling for Jamieson’s resignation.
The campaign centred around a core group of three RCSLT members—Dr Vishnu Nair, Chloe Nkomo, and Ms Farah—who run the Anti-Racism Action Collective. At the time, Ms Farah said: “My immediate reaction was one of shock, disbelief, concern, and worry given Tommy Robinson’s well-documented association with far-right ideologies. It was already a stressful and terrible time for colleagues and friends with the riots happening, and the revelation was hurtful.”
Ms Farah also expressed skepticism about the claimed hack, saying that many members had lost trust in the organisation’s leadership. “Many Black and Brown members have lost trust in the chief executive and do not feel he holds our best interests at heart. He has failed to uphold organisational values and damaged the organisation’s reputation.”
In response to these concerns, the RCSLT’s board of trustees established a sub-committee to oversee a formal investigation. A barrister, Charlene Ashiru from Littleton Chambers, was appointed as an independent investigator, and the inquiry reportedly cost the organisation thousands of pounds. The trustees justified the expense by citing the gravity of the situation and their commitment to inclusivity.
The investigation’s findings, published after five months, concluded there was no evidence of hacking but also no proof of intentional wrongdoing. “With the information and data available,” the report stated, “it was not technically possible to determine exactly how, why, or when the follow occurred, but on the balance of probabilities, it was deemed an accidental follow of which the CEO was unaware.” The report also criticised the RCSLT’s handling of the matter, noting it had failed to address members’ concerns with the urgency and empathy expected of an organisation committed to inclusivity.
Following the publication of the findings, Jamieson issued a lengthy apology. “I am sorry for the hurt, upset, distress, fear, and anger that this caused members, colleagues, and staff,” he said. “Whilst I cannot turn back the clock, I have learnt from this and want members, staff, and other RCSLT stakeholders to know that I recognise I have let you down, and I am truly sorry.”
The ordeal has drawn criticism from free speech advocates and political figures.
Toby Young, General Secretary of the Free Speech Union, condemned the investigation as an overreach, stating: “No one should be penalised for following anyone, let alone a key participant in an ongoing public debate. We cannot hope to solve any of the major problems besetting our society unless we get out of our echo chambers and engage in dialogue with people from all sides.”
Conservative MP Sir John Hayes echoed this sentiment, describing the incident as “chilling.” He remarked: “I’ve read Marx, I’ve read Lenin, but that doesn’t make me a Marxist or a Bolshevist – I despise them both. The same applies to social media. To force the CEO to apologise is rather alarming. To read his apology, you would think this man had committed a capital offence.”
Others fear the incident represents a troubling escalation of cancel culture within professional settings. Critics argue that the demand for Jamieson’s resignation and the subsequent public apology bear hallmarks of a “witch hunt,” designed more to enforce ideological conformity than to uphold organisational values.
There’s more on this story here.
